7/12/01
Hello fellow CDGer's. It's been awhile
but I'm finally getting around to moving into the cyber age. I recently
had the chance to speak with Chris, Robert, and Jason on some of their early
influences and of their experiences with bootleg recordings. Of the three,
only Chris has actively searched out bootlegs, and that didn't start until
he was already a player. He was looking for a Stevie Ray recording with
the intro to "Letter To My Girlfriend" on it, which Craig was
able to turn up for him, and he was looking for the home acoustic recordings
of Jimi Hendrix known as The Black Gold Tapes. I did a little searching
around, and was able to find those for him. Chris said during his younger
years he listened to a lot of AC/DC, The Beatles, and Black Sabbath. He
also informed me that he has actually smuggled a tape deck into two shows
that he taped. He doesn't remember the dates and said he wasn't sure where
the tapes were, but he recorded an Allan Holdsworth's IOU show, this was
probably in the mid 80's sometime, and he recorded a John McLaughlin show
on the tour where John was first trying out his new guitar synthesizer (probably
1988). Robert said he never heard of bootlegs when he was growing up and
he just listened to a lot of Merle Haggard records. It just so happened
that when he said that, Craig had a great Merle Haggard boot that he had
just made and gave Robert a copy. I think Robert was a little surprised
that there was actually a live boot of Merle. Jason also was never exposed
to bootlegs when he was growing up and said he just listened to a lot of
Led Zeppelin (guess I'll have to dig him out a Zeppelin soundboard for the
next time I see him). I think Robert and Jason were both a little surprised
when they joined The CDG and saw how many people actively record the shows.
Speaking of recording the shows, there
have been a lot of great CDR's, tapes, and videos popping up lately. And
I just wanted to say to all of you in the field getting it done… Keep
up the great work!! Recently I have had people coming up to me at shows
and asking questions about what equipment to purchase or how to get your
equipment into places that don't allow taping, so I know there are new fans
out there who are interested in getting started. This always gives me the
warm fuzzies and let's me know that somebody is actually reading this stuff.
Please ask any questions you need to and I will help you any way I can.
You can contact me through the CDG Fan Club, or if you see me at a show,
come up and say howdy! As far as equipment goes, if your looking to purchase
equipment to get started with you should check out Sonic Studios at www.sonicstudios.com.
They have a great selection of microphones and recording gear that caters
towards the bootleg enthusiast. Definitely a live recording nuts paradise.
Another good company is Masterpiece A/V Inc. You can check out their website
at www.masterpieceav.com, or give them a call at 888-462-7828. They have
a pretty nice selection of recording equipment and they are also a great
source for blank media i.e. DAT tapes, mini disc, analog cassettes, CDR's,
etc.. They have a great sales staff and I have always received great service
when I have dealt with them.
After getting back from seeing the Indigenous
Jam 2001 and the following night of Chris at the Zoo Bar (6/9&10), I
thought I would write a little about some of my favorite "jams"
that are floating around on various recordings out there. One of the cool
things about recording the CDG is when guests stop by or when Chris sits
in with other players. You get to catch those moments that you know a record
company would never touch. Like…
At the Indigenous Jam 2001 at the Mac-Dome
in Omaha, Nebraska (6/9/01), CDG backed up rockabilly legend Billy Lee Riley.
This was a total smoker! They ripped through such classics as "Red
Hot", and "Whole Lotta Shakin" just to name a couple. There
was also a great all-star jam with Double Trouble where Chris lead the band
in a great rendition of Howlin' Wolf's "Who's Been Talkin". Keep
your eyes peeled, it's worth having!
Another recent favorite was from the tour
Chris did with Coco Montoya back at the first of this year. The Gothic Theater
show in Denver, Colorado on 2/23/01 featured Coco sitting in with the Chris
Duarte Group on "Leave Her Be" and "C-Butt Rock". No
punches were pulled here! Chris and Coco were doing some serious axe-slinging.
It was great to hear them both working it out, and they both had a great
time wailing on each other! This show is a killer, get it if you can find
it!
Another favorite from the archives is
the show from Eureka Springs, Arkansas on September 11th, 1999. Jimmy Thackery
stops by for two songs, "Leave Her Be" and a cool instrumental
jam. I've been a big fan of Jimmy's since the early days of The Nighthawks,
and this has to be one of my all time favorite jams. It was an incredible
thrill to see Chris and Jimmy on stage playing together! This wasn't a particularly
aggressive jam, but it was packed full of great blues licks. Every time
I pop it on and listen to it, it takes me right back….
I could go on about this subject for pages,
but this is just to wet your appetite. Go to the shows! Record the shows!
Trade the shows! You'll get to experience music like nowhere else in this
universe. And remember, Reverend Bob sez: "Music is a lot like manure,
it doesn't do any good unless you spread it around!" See you on the
road!
- Reverend Bob